The Baby Boy
by tinylexie
Summary: The events leading up to Draco's birth. Sequel to "The Bloody Babies." Part of the Dead Babies series.
1. The Latest Baby

**Author's Note****: This takes place about 2-3 years after the events of "The Bloody Babies."  
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><p>"I'm pregnant," Narcissa told Lucius over dinner.<p>

Lucius's fork paused in midair. He looked at Narcissa with an emotionless expression on his face.

"I'm past my first trimester," Narcissa continued.

"And what have the Healers said?" Lucius asked, his voice betraying even less than his face.

"They say that the baby appears to be developing just fine," Narcissa replied.

Lucius lifted his fork to his mouth. He chewed and swallowed the piece of meat that had been on the fork.

"When is your next checkup?" Lucius then asked.

"They want to see me back in a week," Narcissa answered.

Lucius just nodded his head. He then took a sip of wine.

"They're going to be keeping a close eye on me," Narcissa remarked. "This might be it, Lucius. This time, we just might get lucky."

"I hope so," Lucius returned. His voice, though, clearly reflected his doubt.

Narcissa, however, also caught a hint of hope in her husband's voice. Even after losing Ara and even after all the miscarriages, he still had hope of one day becoming a father.

Just like Narcissa still had hope of one day becoming a mother.

It was, however, only a small amount of hope. It was hard these days to have much hope.

* * *

><p>Lucius waited until Narcissa was asleep before he slid out of their bed. Usually, the only time he would even think about leaving her alone at night while she was pregnant would be because he had been summoned by the Dark Lord.<p>

But this time, he had not been summoned by the Dark Lord. No, this time, he just needed to go outside for a while. He just needed to be free of the manor's walls for a while.

Usually, Lucius didn't have a destination in mind whenever he went on his nighttime wanderings. He just went wherever his feet carried him or wherever he happened to Apparate to.

Tonight, however, he had a destination.

The cemetery where the Malfoys were buried.

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><p>Lucius Apparated right outside the gates that led to the Malfoy cemetery. There was an Anti-Apparition Jinx around the cemetery, and the gates were charmed so that only a Malfoy or someone who had received a Malfoy's permission could enter.<p>

Lucius touched the gates with his hand. The gates automatically opened. Lucius walked past the gates. He then began to make his way through the cemetery.

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><p>Lucius had spent a lot of time in his family's cemetery as a child, especially during the night. While most were frightened about the idea of being so near the dead when it was so dark, death was something that had always fascinated Lucius.<p>

His mother had died in childbirth. Lucius, therefore, had never had the chance to get to know her. And even though he had done lots of research on her, there was not much information to be found. He just knew her name and genealogy, but he didn't know anything about who she had been as an individual.

Would she have been like his father? Or would she have been more like Narcissa?

As a child, Lucius had often went to the cemetery at night to visit his mother's grave. And he had spent a lot of time fantasizing about what she would have been liked if she had lived. He had always liked to think that she would have cared about him, that she would have done everything in her power to protect him from his father.

Once, Lucius had dreamed that he and his mother had ran off somewhere. The place where they had ran to had not been a grand as Malfoy Manor or as luxurious, but both Lucius and his mother had been happy because Abraxas Malfoy had not been involved in their lives in any way.

But all of that had been nothing more than the fantasies of a small boy who had been lonely and miserable.

Lucius rarely thought about his mother these days. He no longer came to the cemetery to visit his mother's grave.

He now only came to visit another grave.

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><p>Lucius went straight to Ara's grave.<p>

"Hello, Ara," Lucius spoke as he knelt down and gently ran a finger through his daughter's name on her tombstone.

Lucius felt the tears building up in his eyes, but even being alone like he was, he refused to cry. He had been too well-trained by his father for that.

"Your mother is pregnant again," Lucius said next. "She'll probably come to visit you soon, if she hasn't done so already." Lucius paused for a moment. "We barely have any hope left, Ara. I want to believe that this child will be born alive and healthy, but it's hard to really believe that."

Lucius paused again. "I really want this child, Ara. But not to replace you, of course. There will never be any replacing you. No child could ever take your place. Nor could any child ever take the place of any of your other brothers or sisters." Lucius paused for a moment before saying in a soft voice, "I don't even know if they would have been boys or girls." Lucius then paused again.

"No, Ara," Lucius finally continued, "I just want your mother to finally have the happiness that she deserves. She wants to be a mother so badly. But she's never going to forget you either. You will always be our first child. You will always be our little girl. I think about you all the time, Ara, and I know that your mother does the same. You are everything to us, and you always will be. The same goes for your other brothers or sisters. All of you are everything to us. I think a lot about them as well, as does your mother."

Lucius took a deep breath before continuing. "Everything I've done since you died, I did it in your memory. We are dying, Ara, us Purebloods. The Muggle population continues to grow, while our kind continues to disappear. I'm afraid, Ara, that one day there will be no more Purebloods, despite all my best efforts. And I'm afraid that we will be forgotten, our culture, our beliefs, our traditions, all forgotten, as if we had never existed.

"But I promise you, Ara, that I will never stop fighting. I will never allow your death to have been in vain. And I will never forget you, just like I know your mother will never forget you either."

Lucius paused for a moment. "Oh, Ara, I want this new baby to be the beginning of something wonderful. Please, look after your mother and your baby brother or sister."

Lucius stood up. He looked at his daughter's tombstone for a long moment. But still, he did not cry.

"You will always be a part of both me and your mother, Ara," Lucius whispered. "This baby will not change that. Nothing will ever change that. No matter what happens in the future, we will never forget you. The world may not care about a Pureblood baby that died before she even had the chance to take a single breath, but both me and your mother care about you. And we will always care about you. Just like we will always care about your other brothers or sisters who never had the chance to live either. Always, Ara. Always."

Lucius reached out and gently touched Ara's tombstone. "I'll be back soon, my little Ara, my baby girl."

Lucius slowly turned around and began to make his way out of the cemetery.

He did now, however, automatically return home. He was too restless to return home. If he went back home now, he wouldn't be able to sleep. He would just lay awake, wondering whether or not they were going to lose this latest baby like they had lost Ara and all the other babies that had followed.

There was a small pop. With that pop, Lucius disappeared. He had no destination in mind. He would just go wherever his Apparition took him.


	2. The Incidents

**Author's Note****: Many months have passed between the first chapter and this chapter. Narcissa is nearing the end of her final trimester, but she is still about a month away from her expected due date.  
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><p>Lucius had spent most of the morning under the Disillusionment Charm near the Auror headquarters in the Ministry, but he had yet to hear any useful information.<p>

The Aurors were finally starting to get smarter. They were finally starting to learn that it was not wise to have conversations regarding sensitive information in the hallways. Why did they have to start getting smart all of a sudden?

It looked like Lucius was going to have to get closer in order to find out anything useful.

But that would have to wait until later. Lucius had promised to meet Fudge for lunch.

Maybe Fudge would have some useful information to share.

Lucius snorted; but it was a dignified snort, so it really wasn't a snort. Fudge rarely knew anything useful. It was almost always Lucius who was sharing the useful information.

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><p>No longer under the Disillusionment Charm, Lucius slowly made his way to Fudge's office, debating what to tell the other man and what not to tell.<p>

Fudge had come to expect that Lucius would be able to give him some information on potential Death Eater activities. Lucius rarely gave specifics, but it was always enough to keep Fudge interested and eager to hear more.

Lucius, though, was going to have to cut lunch as short as possible. The Dark Lord would not be happy if he found out that Lucius was pushing his own agenda instead of gathering useful information for him. And Lucius most definitely didn't want the Dark Lord to know that he was making plans of his own. Lucius knew the importance of appearing to be nothing more than another mindless, completely devoted servant.

There was a group of wizards and witches in front of Lucius. He would have to walk past them in order to get to Fudge's office. Lucius, of course, could take another way if absolutely necessary; but it would take him a lot longer to reach his destination, and he was already running a little late. He had been so determined that find out something that could have possibly been at least a little useful.

No, Lucius would just walk by this little group who had suddenly decided that the Ministry was a social club. As soon as they spotted him, they would probably automatically get out of his way. He did have a reputation, after all, and few wizards and witches dared to mess with him.

"Arthur, what have the Healers said about Molly?" one of the wizards suddenly asked.

Lucius froze. A closer look at the gathered group showed that Arthur Weasley was indeed among them.

Lucius scanned the group more closely. There were no Aurors among them or any known Phoenix members. The only Phoenix member among them, in fact, was Arthur.

And since Lucius was the one who had discovered the identities of most of the Phoenix members, he would know if any new members had joined recently. And as far as he knew, none have. Most wizards and witches just wanted to lie as low as possible and not draw any attention toward themselves.

None of the group seemed to have noticed Lucius. Unbelievable. He was standing just a few feet away from them, and he was fully visible. If only this group had been a group of Aurors or even a group of Phoenix members. Lucius may had then learned something useful without even having to try.

"The Healers have told Molly that both she and the baby are doing just fine," Lucius heard Arthur speak.

Baby. Arthur and Molly Weasley were having another baby. How many more children did they need? Lucius couldn't even think on the top of his head how many children they already had.

"You think you might finally get a girl this time, Arthur?" a witch asked.

A girl. Lucius felt something drop in his stomach.

Why should someone as unworthy as Arthur Weasley be allowed to have a daughter? Especially after Lucius's daughter had been taken away from him, taken away from him before she had even had the chance to take a single breath.

"We want to be surprised," Arthur spoke. "Either way, we will be happy, just as long as the baby is alive and healthy."

Alive and healthy. None of Narcissa's babies had been born alive and healthy. What had Arthur or Molly Weasley ever done to deserve the fortune that they had?

A part of Lucius was tempted to just take another way to Fudge's office. So what if he was a little late.

But another part of Lucius did not want to give Arthur the satisfaction of winning completely.

"Arthur," Lucius drawled lazily, "what's this I'm hearing. You and your wife are expecting yet another child. That is truly good news. Congratulations are in order."

Arthur visibly flinched at the sound of Lucius's voice. He turned his head to look in Lucius's direction. The anger on the red-haired man's face was obvious.

The wizards and the witches gathered around Arthur immediately grew silent and nervous. It was no secret that Lucius and Arthur absolutely hated each other, and that things were likely to explode whenever the two wizards were near each other.

"I am concerned, though," Lucius continued, "about how you and your wife are going to be able to afford this new baby. Unless you've received a promotion or a raise that I don't know about, which I highly doubt."

"You don't need to be concerned about my finances, Lucius," Arthur snapped. "I can take care of my family just fine without your _concern_."

"That's so touching, Arthur," Lucius returned. "It really is. But a part of me can't help but feel sorry for all those poor children of yours, including this new one on the way. They're probably one day be forced to become beggars. That would truly be tragic."

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Arthur snarled.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Lucius smirked, "but you see, Arthur, you and your little friends here are in my way. Now, if you would all kindly move aside, I'll be on my way."

Arthur and the others with him moved to one side of the hallway.

"Thank you so much," Lucius drawled as he began to walk past them. "I hope you all have a pleasant day. Oh, by the way, Arthur, let me give you congratulations once again. I really am so happy for both you and your wife. You're both getting closer to becoming beggars, but at least you can take comfort in the fact that your wife will be a _fertile_ beggar. Just imagine, you two could end up making a whole new population of beggars."

It was obvious that Arthur really was struggling to keep himself calm. A few wizards moved closer towards Arthur, obviously ready to restrain him if necessary. Lucius Malfoy, after all, did have a nasty reputation.

Arthur, however, managed to keep his emotions under control.

Lucius gave Arthur one final smirk before passing by.

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><p>"Hello, Ara," Narcissa spoke as she stood in front of her daughter's gravesite. "I would kneel, but it's getting harder for me to get back up these days. Your baby brother or sister is starting to get big." Narcissa managed a slight laugh, but she knew that it was weak.<p>

Narcissa looked down at her huge stomach. It wouldn't be much longer now before the baby was born.

"I know I've already asked this of you, Ara," Narcissa said in a shaky voice, "but please look after your baby brother or sister."

Narcissa paused for a moment before continuing. "I don't think I could bear to lose another child, and I don't think your father could either. He tries so hard to be strong for me, but I can tell that he's slowly breaking. And I'm breaking as well.

"Oh, Ara, I don't know why we had to lose you. I don't know why we had to lose any of your other siblings either. I just know that I dream every day about what it would have been liked to have the manor filled with all you children. The manor has never felt like home to either me or your father, you see. But a child would change all that. A child would bring both me and your father such joy.

"I just wish you could have been that child, my darling little Ara. You should be with me in the manor right now, preparing for the arrival of your baby brother or sister. You shouldn't be laying here under the ground without even having had the chance to live.

"And your other siblings should have been with me as well in the manor, also preparing for this new baby. Instead, I don't even know if they had been boys or girls."

Narcissa took a deep breath before continuing. "Oh, Ara, please let this one be the one."

Narcissa allowed her tears to freely fall down her face. She then opened her mouth to say something else to her daughter, but before she could speak another word or even make another sound, she suddenly began to feel dizzy and light-headed. She couldn't get any words to come out. She couldn't get any sounds to come out.

Before she could fully comprehend was what happening, Narcissa fainted. She fell to the ground unconscious, her head right beside Ara's tombstone.


	3. The Horrifying Find

It was nighttime when Lucius finally returned to Malfoy Manor. After his lunch meeting with Fudge, he had returned to the Auror headquarters under the Disillusionment Charm. He had not, however, learned anything of value. Lucius knew that the Dark Lord would not be pleased with him, but he didn't want to think about his master right now. Right now, all he wanted to do was spend a couple of hours with Narcissa before it got too late.

Lucius and Narcissa had not been able to have dinner together since she had told him that she was pregnant once again. Thinking about this, Lucius silently promised to himself that he would have dinner with Narcissa tomorrow, no matter what came up.

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><p>Lucius went about the manor, looking for Narcissa. He called out her name several times, but she didn't respond. And he wasn't able to find her anywhere, not even in their bedroom or in her favorite study.<p>

"Dobby," Lucius spoke. "Brenan."

A moment later, there were two snaps, which was followed by the appearance of the two house-elves.

"Master," both house-elves spoke.

Lucius glanced down at them. How different they were from each other. Dobby was clearly nervous. One could even say that he was a little frightened. What had he done wrong now?

Brenan, on the other hand, looked at Lucius with clear disdain.

"Have either of you two seen Narcissa lately?" Lucius asked, choosing to ignore Brenan's disdainful look. He had endured much worse in the past from his father's little pet.

"No, Master," Brenan answered, his voice just a step below from being a sneer. "I do not keep up with Mistress Narcissa."

"Dobby knows where Mistress Narcissa is," Dobby spoke quickly, wanting to keep Lucius from becoming angry. "Mistress Narcissa went to visit Mistress Ara's grave."

"You mean the stillborn's grave," Brenan corrected.

Lucius quickly pulled out his wand and pointed it at Brenan. A beam of light shot out of Lucius's wand, and it struck the house-elf. Brenan yelped in pain.

Dobby, who was standing next to Brenan, flinched slightly.

"I have told you before not to call Ara that," Lucius hissed at Brenan.

"Master Abraxas will not be pleased about this," Brenan returned, rubbing the spot where Lucius's hex had struck him. It was clear that the house-elf was in some pain.

Lucius slapped Brenan so hard across the face that the house-elf went flying through the air. He landed hard on the floor, several feet away. His eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"Go tell my father about that," Lucius snarled.

Brenan gave no response. Nor did he make any movements.

Lucius, however, paid Brenan no more mind. Instead, he turned his attention to Dobby, who was clearly trembling.

"Stop that," Lucius snapped. "I have not done anything to _you_. When did Narcissa leave to visit Ara?"

Narcissa usually went to visit Ara either in the morning or early in the afternoon. Lucius, on the other hand, usually visited her when it was dark.

But Narcissa would sometimes go to Ara's grave after dinner, especially if Lucius was going to be away for a long period of time.

"After lunch, Master," Dobby spoke.

After lunch. It was now several hours after dinnertime. Narcissa should have been back hours ago.

"Did she have any plans afterwards?" Lucius asked, struggling to keep the panic out of his voice.

"Mistress Narcissa did not mention any other plans to Dobby."

"And yet you did not think to go looking for her," Lucius breathed, "even after she has been gone this whole time. She could be laying hurt somewhere or worse, and you're just standing around, being useless as always."

"Dobby is very sorry, Master."

"I will deal with you later," Lucius breathed dangerously.

Dobby visibly flinched. Lucius, however, ignored the house-elf. He had to go make sure that Narcissa was all right. If anything was to happen to Narcissa. No, Lucius didn't even want to go there. Not even for a moment.

Lucius Disapparated.

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><p>As soon as Lucius was inside the cemetery, he made his way directly to Ara's grave.<p>

Lucius pulled his wand out as he walked._ Lumos_, he thought in his head. A beam of light automatically shot out of his wand.

As Lucius drew closer to Ara's grave, the beam of light fell on a figure that was lying sprawled out on the ground. The figure's head was right in front of Ara's tombstone.

The figure was Narcissa.

Lucius felt something catch in his throat. He rushed to his wife's side and knelt down beside her.

"Narcissa," he breathed. She, however, didn't respond.

A quick examination showed that Narcissa was unconscious. Lucius felt her waist. There was a pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

Lucius wrapped his arms around his wife's body and stood up, holding her close to his chest.

Lucius Disapparated from the cemetery and Apparated in front of St. Mungo's entrance.

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><p>There was a line of wizards and witches waiting to be seen by the witch at the welcome desk, but Lucius ignored them. He had been to St. Mungo's enough to know where exactly he needed to go.<p>

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><p>Lucius refused to leave the room as the Healers began to wave their wands over Narcissa's unconscious body.<p>

"Is she going to be all right?" Lucius finally asked, fighting to keep the panic out of his voice. It was one thing to lose Ara and all the babies that followed her.

But to lose Narcissa. No, he couldn't allow himself to think that way. Not even for a moment.

"We're not sure what's wrong with your wife, Mr. Malfoy," one of the Healers, a wizard, said.

"What do you mean you're not sure what's wrong with her?" Lucius breathed, the anger in his voice clear. "Do you know what you're doing or not?"

"We are trying our best, Mr. Malfoy," the wizard spoke calmly.

The Healer's calm voice, however, failed to soothe Lucius. If anything, it made the blond-haired wizard even angrier.

"Well, your best is clearly not good enough," Lucius snapped. "You better not let her die. You _can't_ let her die." The anger was still there in Lucius's voice, but at his last statement, there were traces of desperation in his voice as well.

"All her vital signs are normal," the wizard responded, "Mrs. Malfoy is at no immediate risk."

"Of course not," Lucius drawled. "My wife is unconscious, but that's clearly not a problem to you. And what about the baby? Is the baby all right? Do you even know that much?"

"We will need to do some further examinations on the both of them. All the baby's vital signs, however, are normal as well."

Lucius turned his head sharply. If he looked at those Healers any longer, he would end up doing something terrible to them.

Lucius then made his way to a nearby chair. He slowly sank down in it.

His eyes did not leave Narcissa for a single moment as the Healers continued to examine her.


	4. The Conversations

**Author's Note: There is a reference in this chapter to my fic "It Must Be A Boy," which was a one-shot that took place soon after the events of "The Bloody Babies."**

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><p>After several hours, the Healers finally stepped away from Narcissa, who was still lying unconscious on the hospital bed.<p>

The lead Healer, the wizard who had spoken with Lucius earlier, glanced over at the blond-haired wizard. There was a nervous look on the Healer's face.

"We are sorry, Mr. Malfoy," the Healer spoke in a slightly shaky voice, "but we are still unable to determine what's wrong with your wife. We don't know why she's unconscious, and we don't know how to wake her back up. Not yet anyways."

Lucius's face didn't betray anything. "I see," he said calmly.

The Healer was clearly taken by surprise.

"I trust, though, there will be further examinations," Lucius continued, his voice still eerily calm, "until you are able to find out what's wrong with my wife."

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy," the Healer replied quickly. "I am going to go talk with some of my other colleagues to get their input, and I will return shortly."

"You do whatever you need to do," Lucius responded. "Are my wife's and the baby's vital signs still normal?"

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy."

"That's good to hear," Lucius remarked, almost casually. "I know that you will do your best to ensure that nothing terrible happens to either my wife or the baby."

Lucius's voice was still calm, but there was no missing the subtle threat in his voice as well.

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy." The Healer nodded at the others with him, and they all walked out of the room. None of them dared to meet Lucius's eyes as they passed by him.

The last Healer to leave, a witch, closed the door behind her. Lucius and Narcissa were now alone.

Lucius got out of the chair where he had been sitting and walked over to Narcissa's hospital bed.

"Narcissa," he spoke softly as he gently took his wife's hand.

She didn't respond in any way.

"Narcissa," Lucius spoke again, this time with more desperation in his voice.

She, however, still didn't respond in any way.

The door suddenly banged open, and Abraxas came walking into the room.

"What do you want, Father?" Lucius snarled, releasing his hold on Narcissa's hand and turning around to face Abraxas. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't find you or your wife anywhere," Abraxas replied, "so I called for both Brenan and Dobby. Only Dobby appeared." Abraxas gave his son a significant look before continuing. "Is there a reason why my house-elf is unconscious?"

Lucius didn't even bother with looking at his father in disbelief. He had always known that Abraxas Malfoy cared more for his precious house-elf than he had ever cared for either his son or his son's wife.

"He called Ara a stillborn," Lucius hissed.

"That's what she was."

"Enough, Father," Lucius snapped. "I didn't tolerate Brenan referring to Ara as if she was some sort of disgrace, and I won't tolerate it from you either."

Abraxas looked past his son. His eyes fell on Narcissa.

"What happened to her?" Abraxas asked.

"I found Narcissa unconscious in the cemetery."

"Is she going to be all right? And what about the baby? Is the baby going to be all right?"

"Don't pretend you're actually concerned," Lucius breathed angrily. "You have never cared about Narcissa, and you could care less if something was to happen to her."

"But I do care about the baby she is carrying," Abraxas responded. "It is, after all, my grandchild."

Lucius laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. "Like you actually care about family, Father."

"There's where you're wrong, my dear Lucius," Abraxas returned. "Family is the most important thing to me."

Lucius just looked at his father in disbelief.

Abraxas, meanwhile, walked closer to the hospital bed. He looked down at Narcissa. It was clear that he was examining her, a reflective look in his eyes. A frown suddenly appeared on his face.

"Do you know something I don't, Father?" Lucius demanded to know, seeing the way that Abraxas was looking at his wife.

"No, of course not," Abraxas answered. "I see that I am not welcomed here. I will take my leave now. I will return later to see if there has been any changes in your wife's condition."

Lucius watched as his father left the room, without closing the door behind him.

Lucius pulled out his wand and pointed it at the door.

The door slowly and quietly closed, leaving Lucius and Narcissa once again alone in the room.

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><p>Abraxas Apparated right outside the Riddle House. He then quickly made his way into the house and then into the study where he knew the Dark Lord was most known to frequent.<p>

The Dark Lord, however, was not there.

Abraxas sat down in one of the chairs.

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><p>Abraxas did not have to wait for long. Less than twenty minutes had passed before the Dark Lord returned.<p>

"Abraxas," the Dark Lord spoke, his voice clearly reflecting his surprise. "It has been a while since you have visited me here. What is the matter?"

"I think we might have a problem, my Lord," Abraxas replied, his voice cold.

"What do you mean, my friend? Now I know where Lucius gets his vagueness from."

"It's Lucius wife," Abraxas hissed. "She's unconscious at St. Mungo's. I think it's because of the Dark Magic that we did to her, to ensure that the next baby she carried would be a boy."

Abraxas stood up, a dangerous gleam suddenly in his eyes. "I told you I didn't really want to resort to that option. I knew it was too risky. I knew that something like this could happen as a result. And you knew as well. Yet, you still insisted that it was our best option."

"Watch yourself, Abraxas," the Dark Lord warned.

Abraxas pulled up the left sleeve of his robe, showing his bare arm. "I am not yours. I can say to you whatever I please."

"But your son is mine."

"You know I could care less if you kill Lucius," Abraxas responded. "I am old, but there are still plenty of Pureblood women that would be willing to marry me, if only to have access to my money. I could produce another heir if necessary. Lucius just makes things easier for me."

The Dark Lord's face did not betray anything. "Enough of this," he finally said. "What's done is done. Lucius's wife is in her final trimester, is she not?"

"Yes, she is," Abraxas confirmed, his voice slowly becoming less hostile. "Her due date is less than a month away."

"Then the baby is developed enough to be delivered early if necessary. The health of Lucius's wife is no longer of any concern to us, just as long as the baby is well."

"I have spoken with one of the Healers," Abraxas replied, "and he told me that the baby's vital signs are normal."

"And is the baby a boy?" the Dark Lord pressed.

"Yes."

"Then there is no reason for you to be angry at me. You will get what you want, a male heir for your son. And I will get what I want, your son's continued service, along with this baby boy's service as well when he is old enough to take the Mark."

Throughout this whole conversation, it was clear that Abraxas had calmed down a lot. He slowly sat back down.

"My apologizes, my Lord," Abraxas spoke, "for overreacting."

"There is no need for you to apologize, Abraxas, my friend," the Dark Lord replied. "I know how important it is to you that your family line continues. And I can assure you that is important to me as well. What do you intend to do now?"

"It depends on what the Healers say," Abraxas answered, "and on whether or not Lucius's wife is expected to recover. But no matter what happens, the baby boy will come into this world alive and healthy, even if I have to cut him out of that woman's stomach myself."

"I see that you are still as brutal as always," the Dark Lord smiled.

"I will not allow anything to happen to my son's heir," Abraxas returned, "not if there is something I can do about it. I have put too much time and effort into this to allow the baby to just die on me."

Abraxas stood up. "I will be returning to St. Mungo's now."

"Keep me updated," the Dark Lord said as Abraxas passed by him.

"I will," Abraxas promised. "Until later."

"Until later," the Dark Lord echoed.


	5. The Recovery

**Author's Note****: I don't know if Lucius is good at Occlumency in canon, but he is in my personal headcanon. I think he most definitely has the emotional and mental discipline to be good at Occlumency.**

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><p>It had been about a week since Lucius had brought Narcissa to St. Mungo's, and there had yet to be any changes in her or the baby's conditions.<p>

Lucius supposed he should be grateful that they hadn't gotten any worse, but he really would have preferred for Narcissa to wake up and for both her and the baby to be just fine.

Fortunately, the Dark Lord had only summoned Lucius only twice during this time, and the Dark Lord had not kept Lucius for long on either occasion. The Dark Lord had just wanted to make sure that Lucius was still trying to gather information from the Auror headquarters. Other than those two summons, Lucius had only left Narcissa's side to spend a couple of hours each day under the Disillusionment Charm at the Ministry.

* * *

><p>While Lucius had been at Narcissa's bedside, he had not slept or ate much. Instead, he had either sat there in silence (just holding Narcissa's hand) or he had talked to her. He didn't know if she could hear him or not, but the Healers had said it could be helpful if Narcissa heard a familiar voice. Lucius, therefore, had made sure to speak to his wife as much as possible.<p>

He had not talked about anything important. And he didn't talk about anything that he knew would be likely to upset her if she really could hear him. Most of what he said was nothing more than small talk (such as talking about their gardens, which was something he rarely talked about as flowers and plants were more Narcissa's thing than his), but he swore he sometimes felt Narcissa gently squeezing his hand as he spoke.

Lucius would quickly look at Narcissa's face whenever that happened, but his hopes would then be quickly dashed when he saw that her eyes were still closed.

* * *

><p>One afternoon (not long after lunch), Lucius stood nearby as the group of Healers once again waved their wands over Narcissa's unconscious body.<p>

Suddenly, Lucius felt his Dark Mark burning.

_No, not now, _Lucius hissed angrily in his head._ Can't you just wait for once?_

The Dark Mark burned again, but Lucius ignored it. He would make his excuses to the Dark Lord later. He couldn't just leave now, not while Narcissa was once again being examined. He had to know how Narcissa and the baby were doing before he left.

The lead Healer finally turned around. For once, there was a smile on his face.

"It appears that Mrs. Malfoy is slowly coming out of her coma," the Healer said.

Lucius visibly breathed in relief. "So, both she and the baby are going to be all right?"

"We will need to do some further testing, of course," the Healer replied, "but everything right now is looking good for the both of them."

The Dark Mark burned again, more painfully than it had burned the past two times.

Lucius could not help the hiss of pain that escaped from his lips. He did, however, manage to overcome the reflex of grasping his left arm.

"Are you all right, Mr. Malfoy?" the Healer asked in concern.

"I'm fine," Lucius responded, his voice not betraying anything.

"We will return later," the Healer then spoke.

Lucius just nodded his head. He remained where he was as the Healers left the room, the last one (a witch) closing the door behind her.

The Dark Mark burned again. This time, Lucius gave into the reflex to grasp his left arm.

"I'm sorry, Narcissa," Lucius said, "but I have to go. I will return as soon as possible. I promise. Just keep on fighting."

* * *

><p>Abraxas watched from around the corner as his son left Narcissa's hospital room, closing the door behind him. As soon as Lucius was out of sight, Abraxas approached the wizard that he knew to be Narcissa's lead Healer.<p>

"Have there been any improvements in either my daughter-in-law or the baby?" Abraxas asked.

"Mrs. Malfoy is slowly coming out of her coma," the Healer smiled, "and neither she nor the baby appears to have suffered any further complications."

"I'm so glad to hear that," Abraxas breathed, managing to sound as if he actually happy by this news.

It looked like he wasn't going to have to deliver the baby prematurely after all. Abraxas had been prepared to do so if it had become absolutely necessary, but at least now he wouldn't have to deal with his son being overemotional over his wife's death. All this made things a lot easier for him. He was going to have to report this to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord would also be relieved to know that he wouldn't have to end up dealing with an overemotional, distracted servant.

* * *

><p>The rest of the Dark Lord's inner circle were already there and standing in their usual places by the time that Lucius finally Apparated into his spot, hooded and masked as the rest of them were.<p>

"Lucius, I was starting to worry about you," the Dark Lord spoke.

"My apologizes, my Lord," Lucius returned. "It took me a few minutes before I was able to get away without raising any suspicion."

The Dark Lord looked at Lucius for a long moment.

Lucius quickly cleared his mind of all thoughts concerning either Narcissa or the baby, and he raised up his Occlumency shields. He did not blink, and he did not try to look away. The Dark Lord did not like it when he thought that one of his Death Eaters were trying to keep something from him.

After several moments, the Dark Lord finally seemed to be satisfied that Lucius wasn't keep anything from him. He then directed his attention back to all the Death Eaters as a whole.

Lucius hoped that the Dark Lord would not keep them for long. He did not know when Narcissa would wake back up, but he most definitely wanted to be there when she did.

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><p>It was evening when Lucius was finally able to return to St. Mungo's. The Dark Lord had wanted a lot of detailed information from him on his recent observations of the Auror headquarters. Fortunately, Lucius had been able to provide enough information to satisfy his master. The Dark Lord, however, had stressed the importance of Lucius doing further observations. Lucius, of course, had nodded his head in agreement.<p>

Lucius knew that he would be expected to provide new information the next time he was summoned. So, regardless of Narcissa's or the baby's conditions, he was going to have to spend at least a little bit of time at the Ministry in the days to come. He really didn't want to be unconscious in a bed next to Narcissa's. That was one of the last things he would ever want his wife to have to wake up to.

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><p>Lucius immediately made his way to Narcissa's hospital room as soon as he entered St. Mungo's.<p>

Narcissa was still unconscious when Lucius walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

"I'm back," Lucius said softly as he gently took his wife's hand. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long."

Lucius used his wand to summon a chair. He slowly sat down, still holding Narcissa's hand.

"I have some more work I have to do at the Ministry," Lucius spoke. He paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm really sorry about that, and I wish it could be otherwise. But I promise I will never be gone for long." He then grew silent.

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><p>Lucius did not know how long he sat in silence, just watching Narcissa. Eventually, though, he couldn't take it anymore.<p>

"The Healers said that you were getting better," Lucius finally spoke. "When are you going to wake up, Narcissa? You have to wake up. I'm starting to go mad, not knowing whether or not you and the baby are going to be fine."

Lucius then grew silent once again.

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><p>Some more time passed. Lucius, finally beginning to feel a week's worth of a lot of stress and worry but little sleep or food, was slowly starting to nod off.<p>

Then, he suddenly heard a voice that immediately jolted him back to full awareness.

"Lucius."

It was Narcissa's voice. It was soft and a little shaky, but it was Narcissa's voice.

Lucius looked at Narcissa and found himself looking straight into her open eyes.

"Narcissa," Lucius breathed, feeling something heavy lift from his chest. "Narcissa, I'm so glad you're back. I'm so glad you're all right. I've missed you."

Narcissa smiled back. She then looked around and quickly realized where she was at. Her face took on a look of concern.

"How long have I been unconscious?" she asked.

"About a week," Lucius answered, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible so that Narcissa would remain calm. She was so close to her due date now. She needed to be kept as stressed-free as possible.

"What about the baby? Is the baby all right?"

Apparently, Narcissa was not going to have any of this "Let's stay calm" attitude. But then again, her reaction was understandable, considering what had happened to Ara and the others that had followed.

"The baby is just fine," Lucius spoke soothingly. "The Healers have told me that both of your vital signs have remained normal this whole time."

This seemed to calm Narcissa down, as she visibly relaxed.

"Who found me?" she then asked.

"I did."

At this statement, Narcissa smiled at her husband. "You always are there when I need you."

Lucius had to look away. He wished that he could say that his wife's words were true, but he couldn't.

He then abruptly stood up. "Let me go get the Healers," he said, his voice toneless.

* * *

><p>Fortunately, the lead Healer was nearby.<p>

"My wife is awake," Lucius said simply. "She is, however, concerned about the baby."

"Let me go get my team," the Healer replied, "and I'll be right there."

* * *

><p>Lucius reentered Narcissa's room. This time, he left the door open.<p>

"Are they coming?" Narcissa asked. "I want to make sure that everything is fine with the baby, so that I can leave."

"Well, you most definitely are just fine," Lucius smiled. "You know the Healers are probably going to tell you to take it easy."

"I'm married to you," Narcissa grinned. "It's kind of hard for me to take it easy."

Lucius allowed himself a slight laugh, knowing that Narcissa was just teasing with him.

The Healers entered the room. Lucius stepped aside for them.

The Healers waved their wands over Narcissa for several minutes.

"Well," Narcissa finally said. "How is the baby?"

"Everything looks good," the lead Healer replied, "but I think it would be best if you stayed here until you give birth, that way we can keep you under close observation."

Narcissa clearly was not happy with this news. She had not liked being in St. Mungo's since Ara's death. But she nodded her head.

"If you think that would be for the best," she said, "then I will stay here. May I walk around a bit? I've been in this bed for long enough."

"Of course, Mrs. Malfoy. Just stay nearby."

Lucius offered Narcissa his hand. She took it with a smile. They then made their way into the hallway.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry that you have to stay here," Lucius spoke as they walked. "I hate this place as well."<p>

"I just want our baby to be born alive and healthy," Narcissa replied. "If staying here will help, then I'm willing to do it. But what about you, Lucius? How are you doing? I've been able to feel your presence this whole time. You've barely left my side. You need to get out a bit. You have never been meant to be indoors this much."

"I wanted to be there when you woke up," Lucius said softly, "and I wanted to be able to spend some time with you before I have to go to the Ministry."

Narcissa just nodded her head. She knew that Lucius was most likely doing something for the Dark Lord.

"Then let's enjoy the time that we do have together," Narcissa said simply, her voice not betraying anything. "I'm ready to eat something, and you're probably hungry as well. Knowing you, you've probably not eaten much since I've got here."

"You know me too well," Lucius smiled slightly, but he knew that his smile was weak. He just was glad that Narcissa didn't make any further comments relating to his duty to the Dark Lord.


	6. The Birth

Lucius was with the rest of the inner circle, listening to the Dark Lord, when he felt the ring on his finger grow hot.

Lucius had placed the Protean Charm on another ring before giving it to Narcissa's lead Healer. The warming of the ring on Lucius's finger, therefore, could only mean one thing.

Narcissa was in labor.

Lucius had tried his best to not think too much about this moment, but now that it was here, Lucius could not help but wonder if this baby would be a stillborn as well.

Was this baby going to be another Ara?

Lucius needed to get to Narcissa, immediately.

Unfortunately, he couldn't just leave in the middle of a Death Eater meeting.

But Narcissa really needed him. She needed to see his face, to know that he was nearby, to know that (no matter what happened) he would be there to support her.

"Lucius, report," the Dark Lord suddenly spoke. "Have you found out anything new from your observations of the Auror headquarters?"

"No, my Lord," Lucius replied, somehow managing to keep his voice calm and steady. "The Aurors are getting better at keeping their secrets."

In reality, Lucius had learned a little something, but telling his master that would mean having to give him a longer, more detailed report.

That would mean not being with Narcissa as soon as possible.

That would mean possibly missing the birth of his first child.

If this child didn't end up being another stillborn.

The Dark Lord looked directly into Lucius's eyes.

Lucius immediately raised up his Occlumency shields.

"Disappointing, Lucius," the Dark Lord finally said, "but not completely unexpected. You're going to have to come up with better ways to gather information."

"Yes, my Lord."

To Lucius's relief, the Dark Lord moved on from him.

Lucius tried to keep himself from fidgeting as the Dark Lord began to question Severus about the latest news from Hogwarts.

_Please, Severus, for once in your life, keep it short.  
><em>

Fortunately, Severus did not have that much more new information to offer. The Dark Lord expressed his disappointment, but he quickly moved on, after telling Severus that he expected to hear more information the next time around.

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><p>Several Death Eaters later, the Dark Lord was finally finished with gathering the latest information from his followers.<p>

The Dark Lord then reminded them of the importance of what they were doing. Then, finally, finally, he told them that they could leave.

Lucius made to grab Bellatrix (this was her nephew or niece that Narcissa was in labor with, after all), but Bellatrix was approaching the Dark Lord. Apparently, she wanted some private time with her master.

Lucius didn't bother trying to stop her. The Dark Lord was Bellatrix's entire world. Narcissa just couldn't hold a candle to the Dark Lord.

Besides, Bellatrix would just add extra stress to the whole situation if she was present, and Narcissa did not need that extra stress.

Lucius Disapparated from the spot where he had been standing.

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><p>Lucius made his way into Narcissa's hospital room. He couldn't see her, as she was surrounded by Healers.<p>

But Lucius could hear his wife. There was no way he couldn't hear her screams of pain.

Lucius began to approach the bed. One of the Healers, a witch, noticed him. She motioned for him to stop.

The witch probably didn't want him getting in the way. Lucius could understand that, but that still didn't make him happy.

He didn't, however, make any arguments. He didn't want to add to Narcissa's stress.

But he did want Narcissa to know that he was there.

"Narcissa," he spoke, "I'm here. I'm sorry it took me so long, but I'm here now."

One of the other Healers, another witch, moved aside just enough for Narcissa's face to be seen.

Despite the obvious pain that she was in, Narcissa still managed to smile at the sight of her husband. Her smile, however, quickly faded when she had another contraction.

That contraction was followed by another scream of pain.

It was even worse than her screams with Ara had been. And those screams had been terrible, so terrible.

Lucius still had nightmares about those screams.

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><p>All that Lucius could do was just stand there, frozen in place. He tried to remain calm, but it was hard, especially as Narcissa's screams became longer and louder.<p>

"Can't you give her something for the pain?" Lucius finally snapped at one of the witches surrounding his wife's bed. "Surely there is something you can give her that won't affect the baby."

"We're sorry, Mr. Malfoy," the witch replied, "but we can't risk giving her anything." The witch then directed her attention back to Narcissa.

Lucius gritted his teeth, but he didn't say anything further. He hated feeling this helpless. He hated being able to do nothing but just stand there and hope for the best.

Narcissa's screams, meanwhile, continued to only get worse.

_She's not going to make it,_ Lucius could not help thinking with horror.

"Hold in there, Narcissa," Lucius spoke, pleased that his voice was only slightly shaky. "Please, hold in there."

The only response that Lucius received from his wife was another scream.

Lucius knew he shouldn't be allowing Narcissa's screams to affect him this much. After all, how often had he been responsible for causing someone else to scream? How often had he watched one of the Death Eaters causing someone else to scream?

But Narcissa's screams were different. It was _Narcissa_ that was screaming, not some filthy Muggle, Mudblood, or Blood-Traitor.

"The head and the shoulders are out, Mrs. Malfoy," the lead Healer suddenly said. "You're almost there. Just keep on pushing."

Narcissa's only response was to release yet another spine-chilling scream.

Lucius, however, heard nothing from the baby. _No,_ he breathed. _This baby has to live. It just has to. Narcissa doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve to lose another child._

Then, suddenly, Lucius heard a sound that changed everything, a sound that made all the years of pain and anguish seem to instantly disappear.

It was the sound of a baby crying.

_The baby was crying. The baby was crying!_

For a moment, Lucius forgot to breath. After he finally recovered himself, however, he found himself meeting Narcissa's eyes. She was obviously worn out, but there was a smile on her face. She had heard the baby's cries as well.

And the baby was a loud crier.

The Healers had moved out of the way by this point. Lucius was finally able to make his way to Narcissa's side.

The baby, meanwhile, continued to cry.

"Lucius," Narcissa spoke, her voice tired but also happy, "our baby is crying. Our baby is alive."

_The baby was alive. For once, the baby was alive._

The lead Healer walked over to Narcissa, the crying baby in his arms.

"It's a boy," the Healer smiled.

"A boy," Narcissa breathed as she slowly sat up in the bed. "A little Lucius." She then held out her arms.

The Healer handed the baby to Narcissa.

Narcissa immediately began to make soothing sounds. The baby's cries began to grow quieter, until he had stopped crying completely.

Lucius just stood there at Narcissa's side, looking at the scene before him with wonder.

"Lucius," Narcissa said, holding the baby out towards her husband, "say hello to your son."

Lucius hesitated for a moment. How exactly did you hold a baby? He saw how Narcissa was doing it, but he didn't think he would be able to copy her.

He had never held a baby before. He had not even held Ara.

No, he didn't want to think about Ara right now. He didn't want to start comparing this baby to Ara.

But it was hard, even in his joy, to not think about Ara.

It was also hard to not think about the other babies that had been lost.

* * *

><p>Lucius suddenly felt someone touching him. It was Narcissa. She was adjusting his arms.<p>

As soon as she was satisfied, Narcissa gently placed the baby into Lucius's arms.

At first, it didn't feel right. But then, Lucius looked down, straight into the baby's eyes.

The baby was looking up at him with the same wonder that Lucius was currently feeling.

There really was a lot of Narcissa in the baby's face.

But the baby's eyes. His eyes were completely Lucius's.

"Hi," Lucius breathed, smiling. "I'm your father, and that nice lady who was holding you a moment ago is your mother."

"We have checked on the baby's vital signs," the lead Healer suddenly spoke, "and everything looks good. We will return later to do some further testing, but you should all be able to take your son home soon."

_Their son. Their breathing, living son._

The Healers made their way out of the room. The last one closed the door behind her.

Lucius and Narcissa were now alone in the room with their son.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" Narcissa smiled.

"Yes, he is," Lucius quickly agreed.

Lucius looked at his son for several more moments. He then looked at his wife.

"I haven't thought of any names," Lucius confessed, trying not to wince, trying not to feel completely horrible.

Narcissa reached out and gently touched Lucius's hand.

"I was thinking Draco," she smiled.

"Draco," Lucius breathed, looking again at his son. "Yes, that's the perfect name for him. Welcome to this world, Draco. Your mother and I have been waiting a long time for you to finally arrive."


	7. The Baby is Home

Lucius woke up in the middle of the night. He looked beside him. Narcissa was there, also awake.

Lucius and Narcissa shared a look. Then, they both got out of their bed.

They made their way towards Draco's nursery. They then walked over to their son's crib and looked down.

Draco looked so peaceful as he slept.

Lucius and Narcissa just watched Draco for several minutes. They watched his little chest rise up and down, a clear sign that he was breathing.

"I can't believe this is actually real," Narcissa finally spoke, even though she made sure to keep her voice as quiet as possible. "A part of me still feels like this is a dream. But Draco's here, and he's alive and healthy."

"It feels unreal to me too," Lucius confessed.

Narcissa looked over at her husband. He looked down happily at Draco, but she could see the sadness in his eyes.

"I miss Ara too," Narcissa said.

Lucius looked away from his wife. "I don't understand it, Narcissa. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have Draco here, but I don't know why we couldn't also have Ara and the others. Why did we have to lose them?"

"I don't know," Narcissa replied softly. "I wish I did."

"It seems like sometimes, no matter where I look," Lucius continued, "I see nothing but huge families with so many children. I don't understand it, Narcissa. We are Purebloods, the elite, the best of the best. We are the ones who are supposed to have it all. But we don't. We don't have it all."

"Our time will come, Lucius," Narcissa responded, keeping her voice calm and soothing. "That is what you are fighting for, for a world where we can rule as we were meant to. And then we _will_ have it all. As for our Draco, he will have a bright future ahead of him, because I know that his father will do whatever it takes to ensure that he has the best of everything in life."

Narcissa gently rubbed Lucius's back as she spoke.

"You're right, Narcissa," Lucius spoke. "I am allowing my emotions to get the best of me. I should know better than this. I have been trained better than this."

"Don't start sounding like your father," Narcissa returned. "You're better than that. There is nothing wrong with feeling. You don't have to shut out your emotions around me."

"I know," Lucius sighed. "But I also know that allowing your emotions to control your actions is for the weak, the common. And I refuse to be either."

"I could never think of you as being either weak or common," Narcissa replied. "You have always been my source of strength, Lucius. I could not have gotten through all these tough times without you."

"I'm glad to have you with me as well," Lucius breathed. "You are the reason why I fight as hard as I do, Narcissa. And now Draco will be another reason for me to fight. I want both you and Draco to have the best future possible."

"I already have the best," Narcissa smiled. "I have a husband who cares more about me than anything else in this world. And now I have a son that is a part of both me and my wonderful husband."

"You always know the right words to say, Narcissa," Lucius smiled back. "And people say that I'm the politician of the family. They clearly underestimate you greatly."

"But not you." Narcissa said teasingly.

"Never me," Lucius agreed with a grin.

Lucius pulled Narcissa closer to him. They then continued to watch Draco as he continued to sleep peacefully.

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><p><span><strong>Author's Note<strong>**: This is the end of this particular fic, but there will be another sequel. It will be called "The Sick Boy." Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and favorited this fic, and I hope that you will all enjoy the sequel.**


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